dragonsfandomcom-20200224-history
Perry the Laily Worm
Perry, known also as Peregrine of Hopelost and the Laily Worm, was a human who was turned into a dragon by his stepmother, Genevra. He appears in the story "The Laily Worm" written by Nina Kiriki Hoffman in the book of dragon-related short-stories known as 'Wings of Fire. ' Personality Perry was kind and gentle for the most part. He at first believed his stepmother Genevra loved him during her time in his family, and genuinely cared for his sister Masery as well as his father. It was Masery who always told him to never forget who he was, so that he might not succumb to his bestial urges as a dragon. Her leaving him and their father forever, combined with losing his dragon form to Genevra, caused him to develop a deep hate for his stepmother and caused him to kill her in revenge. Perry at first hated being a dragon, but soon came to love the abilities he had. He was also devastated and hurt when his powers were taken away, so much so that he helped kill his stepmother in revenge. Appearance As a dragon, Perry was silver in color, with scales like little jewels according to Masery. He was long and wingless, with sharp-clawed hands and feet. He was possessed of a long snout with fleshy whiskers and he had long ears that could pick up even the slightest sounds. He also had a powerful sense of smell. He furthermore had a mane of hair on his head that ran down his neck. In addition, he had a long tail, horns and sharp spikes running down his spine. History Perry and his elder sister Masery lived with their father, a knight named Kendrick and were of royal blood. A year before the events of the story, Perry and his sister lost their mother, who passed away due to unknown circumstances. Sometime after her death, Kendrick, feeling his children needed a mother and himself lonely, met and eventually married a powerful sorceress named Genevra. For a time the four were happy, and Genevra taught Perry and Masery many things; how to hunt, shoot arrows and wield knives, but eventually, after an argument between Kendrick and the Queen, the family was exiled to Hopelost Keep in the northern part of the kingdom. After their move to Hopelost, Perry and Masery learned many things from Genevra, including magic, and for a time, Genevra was kind to them, though Perry thought she saw him as more a tagalong boy than her son. However, three years later, when Genevra became pregnant with her own child and Kendrick was away fighting raiders, she tricked her stepchildren into thinking they would go to learn at the kings court and turned Perry and Masery into animals with her wand of transformation; Masory was turned into a large fish and Perry, to Genevra's astonishment, was turned into a dragon. Placing an obedience spell upon him, she ordered him to drop Masery into the sea near the castle, and to guard an ancient tree. Perry, seething with anger and forced to comply, obeyed. As time went on, Perry was forced to stand guard over the tree. He left only to eat, and soon discovered that his newfound abilities as a dragon were to his liking. However, he still could not speak and frightened those he once called friends among the other children away. However, solace came to him in the form of Masery, who, having cast a counter spell against Genevra's enchantments, could become a human once a week on Saturdays and would come ashore to visit her brother. However, in the interim between his sister's visits, Perry was attacked by knights. Though he tried to make them turn away and wished them no harm, he was still forced to fight due to their search for glory and his inability to speak. Six knights came, fought him and died at his hand, and six times Perry buried them in regret. However, by the time Masery returned, he had learned to speak, informing Masery of his horrible encounters. Though Masery was appalled, she knew Perry was not to blame and was only defending himself. After she left, a seventh knight appeared and Perry, now fully capable of speech, tried to make the knight turn back, but like the others, the knight attacked and Perry killed his foe. Then, finally, an eighth knight appeared. This time, it was Kendrick, Perry's own father who faced him. Unwilling to fight his own father, Perry successfully talked Kendrick down and told him of Genevra's wicked spells and the fate of Masery and himself. Masery then returned again, informing Perry that she had fallen in love with and married an undersea prince named Silverthin, who would make her transformation into a fish permanent. Saddened, Perry and Kendrick watched as she left for the last time. Angered, Kendrick caught Genevra and forced her to turn Perry back into a human. True to her words, she did, but Masery would not return for the same. Kendrick then forced Genevra to suffer for her crimes, burning her alive, and Perry, hurt and upset that Genevra had taken away being a dragon from him, climbed the tree he had been forced to guard, where he found Genevra's heart locked away inside a small chest. Then, knowing she would not die by his father's hands alone, Perry, in revenge, crushed his stepmother's heart in his bare hands. Category:Western Dragons Category:Good Dragons Category:Books